


Berserk

by Brill (HalfLight)



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Action, Altered Mental States, Bittersweet Ending, Child Death, Heavy Angst, Hostage Situations, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, M/M, Mystery, Rage, Terrorism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-17
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-07-15 13:54:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7225024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HalfLight/pseuds/Brill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The war is over.  Nohr and Hoshido are at peace. Xander is King, and Kaze stands proudly by his side as his partner in all things. Nohr should finally be on its way to peace. But when a massacre happens at the hands of a trusted retainer and one of the royal siblings gets hurt in the process, Kaze and Xander find themselves thrust into a series of events that will test their faith in their friends - and each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. seeing red

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Forbidden Nights](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6526984) by [shadowshrike](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowshrike/pseuds/shadowshrike). 



> The title is not a reference to the [seinen manga of the same name](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/manga/berserk). Although said manga is awesome and you should read it.
> 
> Inspired by [Forbidden Nights](http://archiveofourown.org/series/423565) by the awesome [shadowshrike](http://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowshrike/pseuds/shadowshrike). This was originally intended to take place in an alternate continuity, diverging after Kaze and Xander's wedding in Chapter 10. A certain event never happened on their wedding night and they get to live together peacefully for a while. After some thought, I've decided to try to make it into its own story.
> 
> So they get to live happily for a while after they fall in love and get married. Then I, a graduate of the CLAMP/NiER/Warhammer 40k/Berserk school of storytelling, decided to come along and write about what happens after happily ever after. Mind the tags, y'all.

They speak so low she can’t quite hear, but the knowledge that the soldiers are talking about her behind her back sends a spike of anger down Selena’s spine.   
  
She grits her teeth and forces herself to keep looking forward. It doesn’t matter, she tells herself. Let them think what they want about her. As long as Lady Camilla is safe and smiling alongside Lady Elise, kneeling in the dirt and planting rows of flowers, nothing else matters. Beruka’s got an eye on things from up above, and Harold and Effie are watching things from across the garden.  
  
She wonders, for a moment, why she’s even here, when there are so many other (much better) retainers to keep an eye on the princesses.  
  
Lady Camilla doesn’t need a guard easily distracted by a couple of jerks whispering behind her back.  They’d be in awe of her beauty, her ability to flawlessly keep an eye on her liege, her perfect _everything_ -  
  
Something sparks in the back of her mind.  It starts to burn, its flames eating away at her thoughts.  
  
“ - lo?  Hello?  Hey!  My friend here has a question for - ”  
  
The soldier shakes her shoulder, hard.  Fire erupts where he grips her, crawling over her skin, consuming her as the anger builds, bubbles, and boils over.  
  
She turns to him, mouth opening to tell him off as her grip tightens on the hilt of her sword.  
  
It is the last thing she remembers before she wakes again.

_______________  
  
They hear the screams first.  
  
They echo through the streets, the piercing sound a distinct contrast to the cloudless, sunlit sky above and the quiet streets.  Kaze turns and notices Xander’s narrowed eyes, the way his hands tighten on the reigns.  
  
To his left, Kaze senses Laslow reacting in much the same way. “That’s coming from the Embassy’s direction,” he says, the frown on his face audible in his voice.  
  
Xander’s eyes widen. “My sisters.”  
  
With no more warning than a shout and a flick of the reins, Xander sends Thor barrelling down the streets at a gallop.    
  
“Go,” Laslow says. Kaze nods, and with a click of his tongue sends Mochi galloping after Xander. He sends a quick prayer of gratitude to the gods for his gelding’s speed; it’s all that allows him to match pace with Xander as they race towards the Embassy.  
  
Kaze slows his mount as they near the building, jumping off of Hoshi as soon as he’s near enough to run up the steps.  Xander surges ahead of him, taking the steps two at a time.  
  
“Your Majesty!  Lord Kaze!”  
  
Kaze doesn’t feel his usual irritation at the title, too concerned about the blood staining the armor of the soldier that greets them.  “Are you all right?” he asks, slowing to match pace with the soldier.    
  
“Yes sir, I’m fine - Lady Beruka apprehended the culprit. She’s in the garden."  
  
“And the princesses?  Are they safe?” he asks, glancing at Xander. Xander’s jaw shifts and sets, his eyes focused on the door to the courtyard as he quickens his pace. His unease washes over Kaze in a wave. The halls are emptier than they should be.  
  
It sets his teeth on edge  
  
“Lady Elise and is unharmed, but - Lady Camilla and Lady Elise’s retainers are - ”  
  
Xander, a few steps ahead of them, doesn’t seem to see the dark shape sprawled in the entryway to the courtyard. “Xander!” Kaze calls, his arm darting out and grabbing Xander’s elbow.    
  
For a moment, he’s too focused on helping Xander regain his footing.  Then he notices the way Xander’s eyes widen, his mouth falling open.  
  
“Oh, Gods,” Xander breathes.  
  
Kaze glances down and discovers that his husband almost tripped over a corpse.  With growing dread, he lifts his head to actually see the garden for the first time.  
  
Soldiers litter the ground. Blood stains the marble cobblestones.  There’s a spray of vivid crimson against the verdant leaves of a rosebush. Weak cries and whimpers echo through the air, the lament of once-proud soldiers reduced to crying for their mothers. Unharmed officers bark out orders, and the few medics on site run from body to body, healing those they can and closing the eyes of those they can’t.  
  
Kaze’s eyes zero in on a distraught Elise, watching her sob and channel all her magic into a healing staff.    
  
His heart stops when he realizes who she’s cradling in her arms.  
  
“ _CAMILLA!_ ”  
  
Xander sprints across the garden, his restraint snapping at the sight of his sister.  Kaze is not far behind, his eyes seeing everything but refusing to process what’s happening.  They dart around the garden, taking in anything but the slash across Camilla’s chest and gut, the blood soaking through her outfit (and of course she hadn’t worn armor today - what use is armor in peacetime?).  
  
Kaze’s eyes come rest on Beruka’s impassive face. They follow the line of her left arm down to the axe clutched tight in her hand.  
  
His mouth goes dry when he sees its blade resting against Selena’s neck. Her proud head is bowed so low he can’t see her expression. Her hands, balled into fists, tremble on the ground in front of a bloodstained blade.  A deep, dark red splashes across the front of her shirt.  
  
A few tears glitter as they drop to the ground.  
  
“Selena!”  
  
Kaze shifts his gaze over to the garden’s entrance, watching as a wide-eyed Laslow cuts a path straight for Selena, unsheathing his blade.  He only stops when Beruka pulls a hatchet from her belt, readying her right hand to throw it.    
  
“Don’t come any closer,” Beruka says.  “This is your only warning, Laslow.”  
  
“Both of you, lower your weapons,” Kaze says, moving to stand between the two of them.  “Laslow’s an ally.  He wouldn’t do anything to - ”  
  
“He’s her friend, and he didn’t see her cut down Nohrian soldiers in a screaming rage.”  Beruka’s face darkens even more, her voice dropping.  “He didn’t see her cut down Lady Camilla as she took a hit for Elise.”  
  
Silence.  
  
“Is this true?”  
  
The ice in Xander’s voice trickles down Kaze’s spine, and he straightens as his husband approaches, Siegfried unsheathed and pulsing with dark power.  Selena doesn’t move until Xander tucks the blade under her chin, forcing her to look up and meet his eyes.  
  
“Y-Your Majesty, something’s wrong.” Laslow says, his voice high and jittery.  “This is a mistake - there’s some sort of misunderstanding.”  
  
“Silence,” Beruka says, her tone growing hard.  
  
“Selena’s not a killer!” Laslow says, his voice straining, and Kaze has to reach out and restrain Lasow when he tries to run towards Selena.  “I’ve fought with her for years, and she’d _never_  -"   
  
“Explain yourself, Selena.”  
  
Xander’s words, quiet and low, vibrate against Kaze’s skin and silence even the birds. His unspoken demand to hear the words from Selena’s own mouth quashes Laslow’s protests.  
  
Selena sobs, and more tears start flowing down her face, clearing a path through the red.  
  
“I can’t.”  
  
Laslow slumps against Kaze’s arm, a small, helpless sound sliding from his throat. And for a moment, a small part of Kaze whispers that she’s telling the truth before the colder, clearer part of his mind cuts that line of thought off.  
  
Xander’s lip begins to curl. “You can’t explain why you’re one of the few unscathed and covered in Camilla’s blood?”  
  
“I don’t remember!” Selena blurts out, fresh tears starting to course down her face.  “I don’t - I w-was just telling some guy to buzz off a-and then I just - came to with Beruka p-pinning me down and Lady Camilla - Lady C-Cam - ”  
  
“She attacked a recruit who tapped her on the shoulder, then she murdered the other soldiers who tried to restrain her,” Beruka explains.  “She tried to do the same to Lady Elise. Lady Camilla intercepted the attack and took the hit for her.”  
  
Xander looks over his shoulder, and Kaze follows his gaze to Camilla and Elise.  Elise’s shoulders shake with quiet sobs.  There is something cold and hard in Xander’s narrowed eyes as he turns back to Selena.  
  
“Is this true, Selena?” Xander asks, and Kaze’s stomach lurches when he recognizes that tone - the tone Xander uses when he’s already made up his mind about something.  
  
Selena’s face crumples, and she tries to bow her head once more, her eyes squeezing shut as her hands come up to hug her forearms. Laslow strains against Kaze’s arms once more.  
  
“...I see,” Xander says, the air so tense that no one seems able to move.  
  
Then Laslow cries out as Xander raises Siegfried, his arm steady and his gaze sure.  “Selena - _Selena!_ Don’t - please, milord, _NO_ \- ”  
  
“Laslow!” Kaze cries. But it’s too late - Laslow’s already wriggled free from his grip and bolted forward a beseeching arm stretched out towards Xander as he begins to swing Siegfried down on Selena.  Kaze pursues, reaching out, but Laslow’s quick and there’s no time left, no time to -  
  
“Stop.”  
  
Everyone freezes at the familiar, gentle voice. They all turn as one to see her sitting up, pushing against Elise’s hands.  
  
“No!  Sister, please, you’ve lost too much blood!”  
  
Camilla takes Elise’s hands in her own, her smile kind as she lowers them back into Elise’s lap.  But she’s not looking at Elise, Kaze realizes. As Camilla struggles to her feet with ragged, sharp breaths, her smile and eyes stay fixed on Selena.  “Please...lower your weapons.”  
  
Xander lowers Siegfried, walking over to Elise with quick steps as he sheathes his blade. His hands coming up to grip Camilla’s forearms as she leans into him.  “Camilla - Elise is right, you must rest -”  
  
“Promise me, then.” As Camilla leans against Xander, gripping the crook of his arms, she shifts her gaze away from Selena for just a moment to look into his eyes.  “...A trial.  She needs a trial.”  
  
From the corner of his eye, he sees Laslow attempt to slip closer, freezing when Beruka raises her handaxe again.  
  
“Milady, she tried to _kill_ you,” Beruka says.  
  
Kaze glances about the courtyard, taking in the soldiers standing guard as their companions move their wounded and fallen, sending murderous glares in Selena’s direction.  “There are witnesses, if only a few. Beruka herself saw it. You’re covered in blood, Camilla.”   _And I bet the slash across your front will match the sword in Selena’s hand_ , he thinks, pressing his lips together.  “If you did have a trial, it would be a very quick one.”    
  
Camilla presses her lips together, glancing at Kaze and giving him a quick nod. She's read between the lines, and still wants to go through with it.  
  
_Buying Selena time_ , he realizes.  
  
“Even so,” Camilla says, her gaze unwavering.  “Isn’t that...what we decided, Xander?  Everyone gets a trial.”  
  
“Camilla, don’t do this - ” Xander starts, but Camilla raises a gloved hand against his lips.  
  
“I’m the victim, right?” she asks, her smile small and sweet.  “I have...a right to that.  We’re not...Garon, Xander.”  
  
“M-m-milady,” Selena murmurs, lifting her eyes from the ground.  Despite himself, Kaze aches for her a little - she’s a good actor, if she’s faking.  
  
Camilla’s gaze shifts down to Selena, and she reaches out to Selena, trying to move past Xander.  Kaze watches his husband’s face shift as he wars with himself for a moment. Then he relents, dropping his arms and helping Camilla make her way to her retainers.  “Very well.  A trial it is.”  Xander’s glare holds no mercy as it pierces Selena once more, even as his arms wrap around a crying Elise who's all to happy to take her sister's place in Xander's arms.  
  
“Your life belongs to my sister, Selena,” Xander says.  “Never forget that.”  
  
Kaze watches Camilla lift Selena’s chin, her smile still serene as she forces a sobbing Selena to look at her.  
  
“Shh,” Camilla soothes, wiping away both tears and blood with a swipe of her thumb.  “Let’s get you cleaned up before they take you away, darling.”  
  
Selena shakes so hard that Kaze thinks she’ll shatter, for a moment. Then she surges up into Camilla’s arms, wailing like a child as Camilla shushes her and wipes her face with a handkerchief.  
  
In the moments before Laslow kneels down and takes his friend into a tight embrace, before Beruka binds Selena’s hands behind her back and hauls her away, and before they shift their attention to cleaning up the mess, Kaze hears Camilla whisper words he might have missed, if not for his ninja training:  
  
“If it comes to death, I swear I’ll make it swift and painless _._ ”

* * *

Kaze sighs, hefting folders beneath his arm, and tries not to think of Odin and Laslow’s faces as he makes his way down the hall to his and Xander’s room.  He’d passed them on the way back from the Records Hall.  Odin had looked at him, eyes red and shoulders slumped.  Laslow had gripped Odin’s shoulder, his other hand clenched in a fist at his side, and his smile was a fragile thing.  
  
They both reminded Kaze of one of the vases in Xander’s room, the one he said he broke when he was a small child. Unblemished at first glance, with cracks running through it if you knew where to look.  
  
He’d passed by them with a courteous nod and a sympathetic look, not quite sure what to say.  Not sure he _could_ say anything.

For even with how little he knows them personally, there's a bond between them that's deeper than he can hope to understand, and thinks it it best to leave them alone for now.  
  
He sighs as he pushes the door to his and Xander’s room open, doing his best to clear his mind.    
  
“You’re late,” Xander says, glancing up from the missives and setting his quill in the inkwell.  “I was expecting my excuse to pretend today didn’t happen a half-hour ago.”  
  
“Good evening to you, too.” Kaze tosses the files on the desk as Xander stands and comes to gather him into a hug.  “Just picking up a little bit of light reading, that’s all.”  His fingers rub the nape of Xander’s neck.  
  
“Indeed,” Xander says, turning his head and flicking open one of the files, holding Kaze against him with one arm.  An incredulous snort tickles Kaze’s scalp and ruffles his hair.  “Border reports?  I know you’re not one for light reading, but even _Tales of the Ribald War_ is better than this.”  
  
Kaze tries to pull away from Xander’s embrace, only relenting when Xander holds him tighter.  “Very specific ones, thank you.  There have been unsettling reports of unprovoked attacks from villagers along Nohr’s outskirts for a few weeks now, and prisons being broken into with very strange outcomes. I wanted to see if there was any connection to - ”  
  
“Don’t.”  Xander muffles the words in Kaze’s forehead.  “Not tonight.  Please.”  
  
Kaze opens his mouth to argue his case - maybe there’s a pattern, maybe there’s the slightest chance Selena _wasn’t_ lying.  But as he pulls back, he notices the way Xander’s eyes seem to droop and how the lines on his face seem more pronounced.  He leans into Kaze, growing heavier and heavier with each passing moment.  
  
“All right,” Kaze murmurs, leaning up to kiss his husband.  “Tomorrow morning, then, just before we head out,” he whispers against Xander’s lips, and the brief flicker of a smile he feels press against his mouth is worth it.  
  
He extricates himself from Xander’s arms with some effort, and they set about their nightly routine of stripping down and preparing for the coming day.  He hears Xander slip beneath the sheets with a heavy sigh, and when he’s finished undressing he turns and finds Xander holding a familiar wooden box in his hands.  
  
“It’s been a long time since you last looked at this,” Kaze says, slipping into bed next to his husband.  His fingers reach out to touch and trace the roses, thorns, and leaves twined around four letters.   _Juno_ , Xander had told him once.   _My older half-sister.  This was her jewelry box.  
  
_ “With what happened to Camilla today - I just need a reminder, I guess.”  Xander leans back against the pillows and flips the box open, his fingers skimming over the contents.  “Both of how lucky I am that they’re still here with me, and what I have to be for them.”  
  
Xander doesn’t push Kaze away when he leans over and looks into the box. He reaches in and, after a slight nod from Xander, picks up a sapphire-encrusted flower pendant.  
  
“This necklace belonged to one of my younger sisters,” Xander says, watching as Kaze turns it over in his hands and sets it back in the box.  “Camilla wore it for the longest time after she died - I guess she gave it to me when she was ready to move on.”  Xander’s fingers move on to the dried, shriveled husk of a leaf.  “Another younger sibling.  He brought me this leaf one day - it used to be as gold as my hair.  He’d be a little older than Leo now.”  
  
Kaze’s stomach lurches when Xander’s fingertips brush over a tarnished silver rattle with a green ribbon tied to the handle.  “Far too young,” Xander whispers.  
  
Kaze reaches out, and Xander doesn’t protest when he shuts the box and sets it aside.  “I think that’s enough reminiscing tonight.”  
  
“Right.  We have an early day tomorrow.”  Xander turns on his side, a hand tucked beneath his head.  Kaze blows out the candle and settles into the welcoming circle of Xander’s remaining arm, but doesn’t move any closer. He gazes into the quiet darkness instead until the shape of Xander’s face forms in the dark, his dark eyes glittering.  
  
“You still want to go, even with what happened today?”  Kaze asks, tucking Xander’s hair behind his ear.  
  
“If I put it off anymore, then the people that still remain in Nohr’s underground will see me as insincere, and they’ll trust me even less than they already do.”  Xander’s eyes slide shut.  “Besides, Leo will insist that he can go alone, and I’m not about to leave any of my siblings alone right now.”  
  
Kaze pauses as his thumb catches on wetness in the corner of Xander’s eye.  “You miss them,” he says.  
  
“Always.  Some nights more than others.”  
  
“What’s tonight?”  
  
Even in the dark, Kaze can tell when Xander averts his eyes.  “...Some nights.”  
  
Kaze’s mouth presses into a thin line, and he leans in, pressing his lips to the tears forming in the corner of Xander’s eye.  With a shuddering sigh, Xander shifts his body up and over Kaze, trapping his husband with his warm, large body as their mouths meet, slow and careful and sweet.  
  
“Don’t worry about tomorrow.  Or today,” Kaze whispers against his husband’s mouth.  “Just relax, Xander."  
  
Kaze’s hands come up to caress Xander’s back, shoulders, and chest.  They rest on the place where Xander’s heartbeat quickens against his ribcage, and Kaze thinks of all the holes dug deep there, places where siblings once dwelled.  
  
He tries to fill those spaces with gentle kisses that wander lower, with hands that roam and knead and touch with hard-won confidence.  He does the best he can to soothe the worry that roughens Xander’s heart, to ease his sadness with the slow, careful love they forge between quiet sighs and gentle movements.  
  
He hopes it’s bright enough to banish Xander’s shadows, if only a little.

* * *

“Kaze.”  
  
“Hmm?”  Kaze spares Laslow a quick glance from the corner of his eye, granting him a quick nod. His eyes don’t leave Xander and Leo, ever watchful of his husband and brother-in-law as they converse and engage with the people.  
  
“I just wanted to thank you for yesterday.  For holding me back when…” Laslow trails off, his mouth working for a moment before he gives up and bows his head.  “I might’ve made a stupid decision, if not for you.”  
  
“I’m sorry,” Kaze offers, not quite sure what else to say.  “I know you're close to her.”  
  
“It’s just - it’s _not her_ ,” Laslow says, his hands hands tightening into fists as his fingernails dig crescents into his palm.  “Selena’s - well, she’s _prickly_ , but she’s not a murderer.”  
  
“I keep - I keep thinking it’s not real,” Odin says, walking up beside them. He doesn’t turn to meet Kaze’s eyes, and there are dark circles beneath his own.  “I keep telling myself it’s a cruel trick of fate. Maybe a long-lost evil twin, or someone disguising themselves.  Or maybe someone hypnotized her and - ”  
  
“Hard to believe you can still be so fanciful, all things considered,” Niles says, clapping Odin on the shoulder.  “Maybe you should have been a writer rather than a spell-slinger.  You’ve certainly got the imagination for it.”  
  
Odin frowns, face flushing with anger as his lip curls - but then he seems to deflate, his shoulders drooping.  “Point is, whatever happened, Laslow’s right.  Selena’s not a murderer.  I’ve trusted her with my life more than once.”  
  
“And yet she slaughtered a number of loyal Nohrian soldiers.”  Niles smirks as Odin’s frown deepens and Laslow scowls.  “I’m just saying. I know _you_ two trust her, but I know as much about you two as I do about her. You’ll forgive me for being a bit skeptical.  It’s what’s kept me alive.”  
  
Kaze looks away from their with a sigh - just in time, it seems, as he catches Xander beckoning to him.  “Please excuse me,” Kaze says, nodding and waving his hand.  
  
“Ugh, fine.” Niles rolls his eyes, but his smile turns a bit more gentle as he looks at Kaze.  “Go flirt with your husband.”  
  
Kaze flashes a small smile over his shoulder at niles before beginning to make his way to his husband’s side.  His gaze shifts over the crowds of underground dwellers that have amassed, pleased to see most of them looking more curious and hopeful than anything.  He feels annoyance bubble up at the cautious and even angry faces that fix vicious glares on Xander and Leo.  It’s only natural, he tries to tell himself.  It’s only been a year since Garon was deposed and Xander took the throne.  
  
_They don’t appreciate how much Xander’s risking just_ being _here today,_ he thinks. How he even insisted that his husband and the retainers keep a cautious but reasonable distance, just so people wouldn’t suspect that he didn’t trust them?  
  
The annoyance flashes hot across his skin and boils behind his eyes.  His temples start to throb, and he lifts a hand, rubbing his head.  Xander’s voice calls out to him as the heat in his blood starts to build, one of his hands moving towards the shuriken hidden in his sleeve, just in case they -  
  
“Kaze, look out!"   
  
A hand slams against Kaze’s back, shoving him to the ground.  The headache and annoyance evaporates in the span of seconds. He whips his head up and turns to look at his attacker, a sharp retort on his tongue. It dies when he sees Odin occupying the place where he stood instead, his fingers fisted into his blond hair and his eyes screwed shut.  His mouth twists into a snarl unfitting for such a friendly face.  
  
“Odin?” Kaze asks, standing and taking a few cautious steps towards the other.  “Are you all right?”  
  
“Kaze, get away from - ”  
  
Leo never gets to finish his sentence, his next words drowned in Odin’s roar.  His pupils are black pinpricks in his eyes as he lifts his tome; magic erupts from his fingertips, and before anyone can react he hurls a fireball at a maid’s cabbage stand, sending vegetables, wood, and a body flying.  
  
Someone screams. The sound of splintering wood and terrified screams fill the air as someone else draws their sword, stabbing the nearest passerby with an enraged bellow.  
  
The uneasy peace shatters like a dropped plate as chaos erupts through the underground.

 


	2. red wood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Kaze and co. deal with the aftermath of Odin's attack, and start to investigate what might have happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi my name is brill and i am the best at prompt, speedy updates

The world around Kaze seems to slow.  The crowd around him surges; their screams seeming muffled.  His mind struggles to process what’s happening.

_ Odin just turned a jewelry stand into matchwood.   _ Odin.   _ He’d never -  _

“KAZE!”

Time speeds up again.  Kaze’s head snaps around to find Xander craning his head over the crowd, red eyes wide and searching for him.  That’s when Kaze realizes he’s gripping shuriken, his mind clear and calm.

“No, no,  _ please don’t  _ \- ”

“Odin, no!”  Laslow’s voice, high and distressed, twines with the static of a charging spell.

“Get them out of here!” Kaze shouts, his body moving towards the screams even as he shouts to Xander.  “Go!”  Even knowing they’re in danger, knowing the people are in danger, he still cannot look away until Xander lifts an arm and sets his jaw, shouting for the villagers to follow him and Leo to safety.

Only then does he pivot on his heel and sprint down the walkway, slamming into Odin and sending his fire spell into the brick.  Odin snarls as he falls to the ground, his whole focus going to Kaze.

“Laslow, go with Xander!” he shouts over his shoulder, sending a shuriken towards Odin’s shoulder.  Odin doesn’t even seem to register it, tearing it out and throwing it into the sewer water.

Laslow’s face is a crumbling, despairing mess.  “But - Odin, I can’t leave - ”

Odin’s face snaps to Laslow again, his lips pulling back over his teeth.  Kaze curses and darts in front of a Gale’s blast, the sharp winds cutting thin, red lines into his face and through his clothes.  “Someone has to make sure Xander’s okay.”  Laslow seems to waver, his eyes never leaving Odin’s face 

“I promise I will spare him if I can, but - ”

Kaze starts as Odin charges at them, book forgotten, screaming as his fingers seem to turn into claws.  He braces himself and throws his body against Odin’s holding him back as he growls and swipes at Laslow.  “GO!”

Laslow’s resolve seems to waver a moment more; then it collapses, and he takes the maid’s arm, all charm and guile forgotten as he stumbles past Odin and into the throng of people following Xander.

Only then does Kaze turn his full attention on Odin, another shuriken sliding into his palm as he pushes Odin away, jumping back and assuming a fighting stance.  Odin lets off a Frost spell, icicles streaking through the air towards Kaze; Kaze moves in kind, becoming one for the wind he was named for as he ducks beneath them and throws another shuriken.

This one hits its mark as well, sinking into the forearm of Odin’s casting arm.  He lifts it all the same, and Kaze’s eyes widen as Odin lets off another Frost spell, not even seeming to notice the blood pouring from his other wound or the shuriken currently stuck in his arm.

_ Odin, what’s happened to you? _

The brief moment of wonder is a mistake.

Odin lunges at him again, and this time his hand finds Kaze’s throat.  Before he can react, the back of his head hits the wall and pain explodes down his spine.  His hands come up to claw at Odin’s grip, his lungs crying out for air; he opens his eyes to find himself staring into Odin’s snarling face and bloodshot eyes.

He almost misses the vivid, thin ring of glowing red surrounding Odin’s irises.

When Odin pulls his other arm back, this time with one of Kaze’s shuriken in hand, Kaze’s ready.  He strikes with his pointer and middle finger, thrusting them into Odin’s eyes.

It works.  Odin drops him, stumbling back as he screeches and covers his eyes with his hands.  An arrow sings through the air, hitting Odin in the knee, and Odin collapses, flailing and clawing, reduced to a frothing, furious mess.

Kaze walks behind Odin before he can regain his bearings and grabs his hair; his other finger traces along Odin’s neck before he finds the pressure point he’s looking for and  _ pushes. _  Kaze doesn’t yield until Odin’s screams cut off, his body going limp; he eases Odin to the ground, kneeling and pulling out his rudimentary first aid kit to bind his open wound and stop the bleeding.  He hears footsteps and looks up to see Niles walking towards him, hand on his hip, something clutched in one of his hands.

“If only I could catch you two like this in happier circumstances,” Niles sighs, crossing his arms and watching as Kaze peels off Odin’s cape and spandex.  “Should Xander be worried?” 

“Only if he really thinks I’m the cheating type.  Are the villagers safe?"

“There are some injuries and some confirmed deaths - still working on a solid number.  ...A few of them got hit by Odin’s stray spells.”  Niles tosses Kaze a length of rope, watching as Nohr’s champion binds Odin up.  Even without looking, Kaze can tell how his gaze softens as Odin stirs, groaning, and lifts his head.

“Ngh...what in - ”

“Don’t move,” Kaze says, pressing between Odin’s shoulder blades and shoving him back to the ground before continuing to tie him.

“Kaze, what...Kaze!”  Odin struggles against Kaze’s body, bucking even as Kaze binds the last knot on Odin’s wrists.  “That’s right!  Did it - ”

“Be  _ silent _ ,” Kaze snaps, moving to bind Odin’s ankles.  “Or if you talk at all, tell us  _ why _ , Odin.”

“‘Why’ what?  Kaze, I...don’t...oh, gods.”  Odin looks around as Kaze finishes binding him and pulls him up by his collar.  His pupils shrink, and his mouth falls open.  “I...wait, what happened to...”

“You happened,” Niles says, and there’s a gravity to his voice that makes Kaze’s heart ache for him.  

Kaze watches horror overtake Odin’s face in a slow crawl, and thinks there is no way he could be faking those emotions.

“These were innocent people,” Niles continues.  “That woman over there - one of your fire spells caught her.  We can’t - we can’t identify her, Odin.”  Niles’s voice seems to catch before he swallows and rights himself.  “I...I always wondered what dirty little secrets you kept from us, but I never - ” 

Whatever Niles wants to say next gets lost as Odin curls forward, shoulders shaking, and  _ screams _ .  It’s loud enough to echo down through the sewers, almost loud enough to make the water ripple.  It winds down into pathetic, defeated sobs, and tears drip down Odin’s tears to splash on the brick walkway.

“Kill me,” Odin begs, lifting his eyes and baring his neck to Niles.  “I - I deserve - oh _God_.”  There’s an agony to his face that sets disquiet scurrying through Kaze’s bones and unease blooming in the pit of his belly.  It’s the look of a man who’s lost everything; the face of someone ready to regain honor lost by his own hands, if necessary.  

Odin’s roving eyes catch Kaze’s, and whips his head to look at him, wide-eyed and panicked.  “It didn’t get you,” Odin says, more a question than statement.  “Tell me it didn’t get you!”

“Odin, what are you--” 

“He means the aura that was closing in on you,” a smooth voice interjects, and Kaze and Niles turn to find Leo walking towards them, Laslow suddenly sprinting towards Odin the instant they’re close.  Leo meets Kaze’s eyes with a nod -  _ Xander’s fine, don’t worry _ \- and Kaze feels muscles he didn’t know he had tensed relax.

“Let him go,” Leo says, lifting his hand when Niles moves to restrain Laslow.  Niles scowls, not seeming to like the idea over-much, and lets Laslow collapse to the ground and draw Odin into his arms.

“A shame. I was looking forward to manhandling him.”

“Save it, Niles.  Let me see what you have there.”

Kaze’s gaze shifts to the object that Niles passes to Leo.  His eyes widen when he recognizes the kanji painted on the dangling prayer strips, the jade orb set gleaming and bright at the top.  “That’s a rod,” Kaze murmurs, reaching out to run his fingers over the bamboo.

Leo lets him take it.  “We found it on the ground when herding the villagers out..”

Kaze glances back down at Odin and Laslow, watching Laslow whisper to his friend as he strokes his hair and begs him to talk.  A spark flickers in the back of his mind.  “The border attacks,” he says, looking back at Leo, “and the suicides of the Hoshidan suspects responsible after detainment.”

“You read the reports too, then.”  Leo nods, looking back down at the rod.  “I didn’t believe Selena’s account when she attacked Camilla.  But after today, and finding this...I have the faintest of doubts.”  His frown deepens, and Kaze finds his worst fears crawling up his spine.  “It’s too convenient a pattern.  Easy to overlook.  Someone might be doing this intentionally.”

“L...Lord Leo…”

Leo’s eyes flicker, but ultimately don’t move.  Kaze glances from the corner of his eye to see Odin looking up at Leo, what little remains of his tears leaking from the corners of his eyes.  His face begs for Leo’s recognition.

“Let’s get everyone rounded up for healing and detainment.  Kaze - I would recommend visiting the Hoshidan Embassy and showing them the rod,” Leo says, and rights his head as it starts to turn in Odin’s direction.  

“...Make sure the suspects know that they might want to get their stories straight.”

He turns on his heel and walks away without another word, Niles following close behind.

___________

  
It’s mid-afternoon when Kaze walks into the library, interrupting the hushed words of comfort Xander’s trying to offer Laslow.  He looks up to find Leo bent over a tome and Niles staring out the window beside him. “I showed the rod to a priestess at the Embassy, Lord Leo,” Kaze says in greeting, tossing said rod onto the table.

“Honorifics, Kaze,” Xander says, looking up with a brief, small smile.

“Honestly, brother,” Leo responds, exasperation edging into his voice, but Kaze shakes his head and lifts a hand in supplication.

“My apologies. Leo, I’m not familiar with magic, but I was able to confirm my suspicions - this isn’t a rod used in Hoshido, if it’s used anywhere at all.”

Leo frowns, grasping the rod and turning it over in his hands.  “I’m not overly familiar with the construction of rods.  Care to explain?” 

“It seems that the ore used in the construction of this rod is of particularly poor quality,” Kaze says,  “and the script on the prayer strips is completely wrong.”  He nods to the rod’s bamboo stem.  “And this isn’t a particularly favored wood for rods - most use cherry, or if they use bamboo they use something larger and more sturdy than this.”

“In short, whoever used this would have major performance issues, hmm?” Niles drawls, leaning back against the bookcases.

“ _Niles_ ,” Xander warns, shooting a warning glare at both Niles and Leo. 

“I’m joking, Your Majesty, I’m joking.”  Niles says, chuckling when he notices the faint hints of a smile flickering on Laslow’s face  “Here.  Let me verify.”  Niles plucks the rod from Leo’s hand, shutting his eyes in concentration for a moment.  “...Nothing,” he says at last, throwing it on the table with a scoff.  “Not even the faintest hint of magic.  Whoever bought that and tried to use it got ripped off.” 

“...What if they weren’t intending to use it?”

Xander’s focus shifts back to Laslow, who stands and makes his way over to Leo.  His retainer fidgets and blushes, aware of how suddenly he’s become the attention of four pairs of eyes.  “It’s just...don’t you think it’s odd, Lord Leo?  I might be able to buy that it’s a counterfeit if it’s one or two small details out of place.  But this…”  Laslow frowns at the rod.  “Doesn’t it strike you as odd that there are so  _ many _ small elements out of place?  Things that someone who’s well-versed in Hoshidan rod craft might notice…”

Xander’s eyes widen.  “...but that a civilian might not know the first thing about, right?” he asks, standing as realization spreads through the room. 

Leo nods, leaning back in the chair and crossing his arms.  “It’s entirely possible that it was made on purpose.”

“And planted in the sewers,” Kaze continues, a frown deepening on his features, “to be found by someone ignorant of said smaller details, at a time when tensions between Hoshido and Nohr are still rocky.” 

“I guess this city’s pretty lucky we all visited the hot springs during the war,” Niles says, snickering.  “We know too much about what Hoshidan rods look like to be fooled by - ” 

“ _ Thank you,  _ Niles.”  Leo snaps his book shut and glares over his shoulder at Niles, who’s far too interested in the tree right outside the window to notice.

Xander finds himself looking at the rod again, his body tense and on-edge.  “So the question becomes who planted it in the sewers, and why.” 

“It’s still good, right?” Laslow asks, his voice pitching a bit high as a nervous smile forces itself onto his mouth.  “I mean...if someone planted this there, then maybe it means that Selena and Odin - ” 

“I’m afraid it might not be enough,” Leo says.  His voice seems quieter now, his eyes a little sadder as he looks into his teacup.  “The rod was planted, yes, but we still have no evidence as to what made your comrades acted like they did.  If we can’t find proof that they didn’t act of their own free will, the courts aren’t going to buy it. 

“And even if they are acquitted, do you think that will satisfy the families of the slain?” 

Xander aches at the way Laslow fights the temptation to shout at something, to collapse, to do anything but straighten his back and smile.  “I...of course, milord.  I know that’s a possibility.” 

“I suggest we go back and investigate the area,” Kaze says, stepping back and gathering his cloak from the table.  “Maybe someone saw something.  It’s worth a try, at any rate.”

Xander shuts his unread book and stands.  “I’ll come with you - no, Laslow, you stay here,” Xander says, fixing a level gaze on his scowling retainer.  “If the culprit uses the same pattern, then they might try going for you next.  It’s best that you stay here.”

“Then it’s the same for you,” Kaze says, reaching out and pressing Xander back with a gentle push of his hand.  Xander frowns in turn, refusing to budge when Kaze tries to push him back into the chair. 

“I’m - ”

“You’re going to stay  _ here _ , in the castle, keeping things running and helping Leo sort through these books to find something that may help us.”  Kaze looks to Laslow, his frown morphing into something softer and sympathetic.  “And  _ you  _ need to be here for your friends.  They need you right now, Laslow.”

Laslow nods, even as it looks like every atom in his body strains to argue.  Xander presses his lips together, daring a step forward.  “I don’t want you going alone,” he murmurs, and Kaze’s smile twitches, giving Xander the sense that he’s testing his husband’s resolve in the right way, that he just needs to push a little bit more.

“If you need an escort to protect your husband, you’ve no need to worry, Your Majesty.  I’d be more than happy to make sure no one so much as touches the hem of his shirt,” Niles says, and Xander shoots a sideways glare at him.

“It seems like it’s settled, then.”  Kaze’s hand cups Xander’s cheek, bringing his gaze back to violet eyes and a reassuring smile.  “I’ll be okay,” Kaze says, lowering his voice and bringing their faces close.  “This is what I’m good at, Xander.”

The last few threads of Xander’s objection strain, fray, and snap.  He leans forward with a deep nod, enveloping Kaze in his arms and pressing his cheek against Kaze’s head.  “As long as you’re careful,” he says.

“Guess it’s settled, then.” Niles grabs his bow and quiver, beginning to make his way to the door.  “By your leave, milord?”

Leo waves Niles off with a flick of the wrist, giving him a glance and a nod before blowing the dust off of another tome.  Kaze moves to try to pull away, but Xander tightens his arms, willing him to linger a few moments more.

“Promise me you’ll come home,” Xander whispers, kissing Kaze’s forehead and feeling Kaze’s arms come up to pull him close. 

“Always,” Kaze murmurs, and presses a kiss to where Xander’s pulse beats quick and anxious in his neck.  Only then can Xander will his arms to drop, and Kaze moves away in an instant, gathering up his cloak and walking after Niles.  Xander watches for a moment, trying to force back the urgent words clawing his way out of his throat. 

“Kaze - ”

He hates how Kaze turns at the sound of his voice, the way the light catches his hair, his violet eyes concerned.  Xander opens and closes his mouth, trying to find words to describe what’s rattling around in his chest -  _ I love you, please don’t go _ -

_ I’m being silly,  _ his mind hisses back at him.  His husband is good at this.  He has to trust him.

Xander takes a few breaths and wills himself to calm down, an uneasy smile spreading across his face.  “I’ll see you tonight, Kaze,” he says, and his cheeks ache with the effort of his grin.

Kaze’s own smile brightens his face.  “I’ll see you tonight,” he replies, eyes sparkling and fond and understanding.

_ I love you, too. _

He is gone before Xander can say another word, closing the library door behind him with a quiet click.  Xander licks his lips and tries to quell the churning in his stomach.  It doesn’t quite work.

“Milord?” Laslow says, his voice and his hand on Xander’s shoulder making him jump.  He blinks a few times, getting his bearings as Laslow gestures to the table.  “When you’re ready, Lord Leo and I have gathered some more books to go through.”

Xander claps Laslow on the back, and the two of them make their way to the table.  “I sometimes wonder what I would do without you and Leo,” Xander says, taking a book and a piece of parchment.

“Have a less organized library, for one,” Leo says, and writes something down before turning the page of his book.

___________   
  


“Ah...excuse me.” 

It takes Kaze a second to realize that the speaker’s addressing him, and he looks up at a striking young man with long, flowing black hair and golden eyes.  His fingers cease the figureade pattern they paint on the table’s surface with a stray drop of ale.  “Can I help you?” He asks, feeling Niles tense beside him.

“Well, it’s just...I understand you’ve been asking questions about - ” his face pulls here, his eyes sliding to the side, “well, what happened in the sewers today.  I saw something you might like to hear about.”

“Interesting.”  Niles removes his boots from the table, a smile cracking his face as he leans forward on his elbows.  “Someone’s offering us juicy secrets without making us pay for them?  On the streets, we’d call that person a - ”

“We’d love to hear what you have to say,” Kaze answers, cutting in and gesturing to the seat in front of him.  “Please, take a seat.  Can we get you anything?”

“Oh - n-no, but thank you.”  The man slides into the stool across from Kaze, his eyes darting over to Niles for a moment.  “I didn’t mean to interrupt your meal….” 

“Not at all.  We were just finishing, in fact,” Kaze says, pushing his dish away and sending a look at Niles when he reaches out, snatches a drumstick off his plate, and takes a large bite.  “Now, you mentioned you saw something?” 

“Yes.  I got caught up in the rush after those - those _brutes_ started destroying everything.  Especially the sorcerer - I think I got singed by one of his blasts.”  From the corner of his eye, Kaze sees Niles’s eye darken and forces himself to keep a neutral face.  “It was just that - ” the man’s face starts to crumble, “I’ve never seen such - ”  

“I understand that this may be hard for you, and I’m sorry.”  Kaze leans forward, resting his elbows on the table.  “I appreciate that you are willing to come forward with this information - what you tell us could save a lot of lives.” 

The man seems heartened by this, though it’s hard to tell with that serene smile and those unreadable golden eyes.  “Right.  When I was climbing out of the sewers, I saw something - like a sparkle, or a glow.  I saw someone throw something into a nearby alley, and then toss a Hoshidan rod into the crowd before disappearing.  I think it was - yes, it was the sewer entrance just by the Apothecary on the east side of town.” 

Niles doesn’t say a word, his calm blue eye flicking over to Kaze.  There’s knowledge in the way his face tenses, in the way his eyes narrow, that says more than words ever could.   _Bingo_.  

Kaze stands after they get directions on the alley’s location from the man and tosses some coin on the table.  “Thank you for your help.  We’ll make sure to look into it right away.”  He starts for the tavern door, taking a few steps before realizing he’s walking alone.  With a sigh and a shake of his head, he turns back to the table.  “Niles,” he calls, “come  _ on _ .”

Niles sits there for a few more seconds, then tosses his own payment on the table.  “It’s been... _ enlightening _ ,” he says, voice devoid of its usual teasing.  Kaze can sense Niles’s eye still trained on the man as Kaze pulls him out of the tavern and into Nohr’s nippy night air.

They walk in silence, side by side, before Niles breaks the silence when the tavern’s a decent distance away.  “I don’t trust him,” Niles says.  “This could be a trap.”

“True, but it’s the only lead we’ve gotten all day.  Even from your network.  It might be worth a look, at least.”

“I still don’t like it.  He reminded me of some of the men I...knew.  Before Lord Leo took me on as his retainer.”

“Do you have any other ideas, Niles?”

Niles’s face twists, his nose wrinkling as he kicks a pebble down the road. “No, and that’s what I hate most of all.”

“Well, I’m a ninja and Champion of Nohr, and you’re the trusted retainer of Lord Leo.  I think we’ll manage, between the two of us.” 

“Mm.”  Niles moves closer as the town square sprawls out before them, brushing their shoulders together.  “Knowing that I have such a stalwart companion I can rely on...I don’t think you know what that _does_ to me - ”  

Niles’s words come to an abrupt halt as tight fingers clamp around his wrist, his hand just inches from Kaze’s rear.  Kaze’s smile is light and teasing, but his eyes are hard as he lifts Niles’s hand between them and sets it back at his side.  “Whatever it is, I’m sure you can find a way to express it through words.  And keeping your hands to yourself.”

Kaze can’t help but chuckle a little as Niles throws his head back, his delighted laughter scattering through the air.  It fades a little as they near their destination, their eyes and ears primped for the slightest sound as they kick aside the manhole cover and descend into the sewers.

Compared to earlier today, the silence seems to press loudly at their ears; Kaze lights the lamp he brought with them and holds it out in front of him.  “So this is around where the man said he saw the guy drop the rod?”

“Thereabouts.  Unless the crowd carried it farther away.”

Kaze flicks his arm, and a shuriken slides into his palm.  “Let’s start at the end of this intersection and work our way down, then?” 

“Sounds good to me.”  Niles nocks an arrow, falling into step behind Kaze.  “Tell me if you see something.”

The scant light from above ground fades away as he and Niles search, the glow from Kaze’s lamp the only other source of light.  

“Here,” Kaze says at last, his eyes alighting on something that gleams in the lamp’s light.  He frowns as he picks up the stem of a staff - a long, silver thing with a forked head, rubies embedded in the top, and chains dangling from the two ends.  A little ways away, a ruby lies in broken pieces

“Odd,” Niles says, reaching down and examining it.  “Guess we found the real culprit of Odin’s madness, then.”

“Do you recognize it at all?”

Niles frowns, his fingers coming up to rub the ruby shards.  “No.  I’ve used a lot of staves, but this is the first time I’ve seen something like - ”

“Sirs?  I remembered something else.”

Kaze’s head jerks up when he hears the voice of the man from tavern.  There’s something different about it, this time - something tighter and more on-edge. 

Kaze and Niles stand at the same time, turning to look - and Kaze feels his heart stop and his world sharpen into focus as the man stands there, smiling, holding a knife to his throat.

“There’s something I want to show you,” he says.  A trickle of blood dribbles down his throat, gleaming in the scant light as Niles lifts his bow.  “I want you - to come - with me.”

“Peace, Niles,” Kaze says, stepping forward and pressing the bow and arrow down.  “Let me try to resolve this.”  Because there’s a halting, terrified lilt to the man’s voice.  One wrong move and he'd -  Kaze grimaces at the thought and pushes it down, trying to approach the man the same way he’d approach a skittish horse.  

“Sir, please, go back to the surface.”  He drops the shuriken when he sees the man’s armed hand twitch, raising it to show it’s empty.  “It’s not safe out - ”

“Kaze,  _ duck _ !”

Kaze reacts before Niles even speaks, hearing the arrow whistle through the air, and feels the breeze from it brush his cheek as he sidesteps it and glares back at Niles.

Niles’s face is tight, his one blue eye narrowed into slits.  It takes Kaze a moment to recognize the all-too-familiar magic circles around Niles’s feet, binding them to the ground.  Making him unable to move.

“Niles!” he calls, taking a few more concerned steps towards his friend.  “Hang on, I’ll be right - ” 

Kaze’s so focused on Niles that he doesn’t even hear the rustle of clothes behind him.  Or see the club that comes down on the back of the head, plummeting him into darkness.

___________

“Kaze!”

Niles can scream, but he can’t move.

He can only watch as Kaze slumps forward, and as the shadowy figure curls forward to pull him against its chest.  Can’t even catch a glimpse of its face as a magic circle flares to life beneath the two of them and then vanishes, taking the figure - and Kaze - with it.

Only then does the magic fade, and he surges forward, his fingers grasping at empty air.  His breath comes in uneven gasps as he whirls around, hoping that maybe they were still hiding in the shadows. 

Nothing.  Only silence - and a pile of dust where the man once lay - welcomes him.

Niles curses and gathers up the broken staff, making his way to the ladder and frowning at the dust on the ground.  “I’ve killed a lot of people,” he mutters, coming to a stop in front of it.  “I’ve never seen them do that.

“Not the human ones, anyway.”

A sparkle catches the corner of his eye; he squats down, sorting through the ash until his fingers unearth a single, sparkling amethyst.  He brings it closer, and his eye widens when he strains his vision and begins picking out patterns etched on the inside of the gem.

Runes.  A magic circle.  Whatever it was, someone had created it.

_ And now they have Kaze. _

Niles pockets the amethyst and ruby shards, sliding the stem of the staff into his quiver.  He climbs out of the sewers and runs back to the castle as fast as his feet will carry him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is completely written, by the way, I just need to actually edit and post the rest of the chapters. I will probably do so this week.
> 
> ...I say, as I wait another five months to publish the next chapter. xD
> 
> Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, and see you next chapter <3


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